Buy Tickets for Programs

Please visit us! In a daytime guided tour, see some of the largest telescopes in the world and learn about fascinating science. At night, enjoy fabulous views of celestial wonders through telescopes operated by our expert guides.

Programs

Join us for any (or all!) of the following programs at our West Texas observatory site. Programs begin at our Visitors Center, not on the mountaintop. The Visitors Center includes exhibits, a theater, cafe, and gift shop.

Use the tools below to buy tickets. Carefully check the date of the programs you're reserving, and the number of tickets you need for each, before you buy. The system defaults to one adult pass. If you don't need that pass, click the number field and select zero.

No group discounts are available for Twilight or Special Viewing Night (SVN) passes. SVN passes are reserved separately from other reservations to ensure that important information about those programs is sent to you. See the SVN pages for more info.

Please include all members of your party in your tour reservation.Contact us for more information or to let us know if you have special needs. Bring a printout of your online receipt, or at least make note of the confirmation code you'll receive from our system. Passes will be under your last name at the Information Desk.

UT & Military Discount: The Visitors Center does not receive direct funding from the University but we do offer a small discount to our UT colleagues with a current valid UT ID. To receive this discount, simply enter any passes for current UT students, staff, or faculty under the "Snr (65+)" category. Active duty military should also select the "Snr (65+)" category to recieve that discount.

Refund Policy: Solar Viewing, Guided Tour, Twilight Program and Star Party passes are all refundable up to 3 days prior to the program ($3 administrative fee) after which rescheduling will be offered (free). Please email or call us (432-426-3640, then zero at the message) with your cancellation or reschedule request. No-shows will not be refunded or rescheduled. Contact us for more information or to let us know if you have special needs. Those in attendance but not wishing to stay for our cloudy Star Party alternate programs (see the "Learn more about what happens at the Star Parties" section above) have the option to accept a free reschedule to come back at another time or, if preferred, a refund (minus a $3 processing fee) is offered at that time to those who are unlikely to return to our area. While there are no other fees involved, reschedules must contact the Visitors Center to plan their return visit.

SBCGlobal, AOL, Yahoo, HotMail, etc.: SCBGlobal customers ... SBCGlobal appears to be completely blocking email from our reservation system. Either use a different email address or send an email to our staff who can send you a PDF copy of the confirmation. We've had a number of visitors with AOL, Yahoo, HotMail sorts of email accounts tell us that they've not received their purchase confirmation emails. Apparently, these services aggressively filter for spam and our confirmations are getting caught in these filters. Please be sure to check your spam/junk folder and/or add "reservations@webreserv.com" to your address book as an approved email contact before making your reservations to avoid missing your confirmation email.

The system defaults to one adult pass. If you don't need that pass, click the number field and select zero.

If you're 65 or over and want the senior discount, choose the "Snr (65+)" pass only. There is no need to purchase both an adult and a senior pass ... by definition, if you're a senior, you're already an adult. Adding the senior pass does not discount the adult pass ... it just adds another pass to your purchase and you'll end up purchasing more than you need.

Be sure to click on the "Book" button on the final reservations page as your final step in making your reservation. Failure to click the "Book" button will result in no reservations being made.

Dress warmly (especially for evening programs) and bring your reservation confirmation with you. The Visitors Center is open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time (and additional hours on Star Party nights) every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The phone number is 432-426-3640.